Search

Background: The majority of existing transition planning programs are focused on people with a disability in general and may not meet the specific need of adolescents on the autism spectrum. In addition, these interventions focus on specific skills (e.g. job readiness or self-determination) rather than the overall transition planning process and there are methodological limitations to many of the studies determining their effectiveness. The Better OutcOmes & Successful Transitions for Autism (BOOST-A™) is an online program that supports adolescents on the autism spectrum to prepare for leaving school. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of the BOOST-A™ in enhancing self-determination. Methods: A quasi-randomized controlled trial was conducted with adolescents on the autism spectrum enrolled in years 8 to 11 in Australian schools (N = 94). Participants had to have basic computer skills and the ability to write at a year 5 reading level. Participants were allocated to a control (n = 45) or intervention (n = 49) group and participants were blinded to the trial hypothesis. The intervention group used the BOOST-A™ for 12 months, while the control group participated in regular practice. Outcomes included self-determination, career planning and exploration, quality of life, environmental support and domain specific self-determination. Data were collected from parents and adolescents. Results: There were no significant differences in overall self-determination between groups. Results indicated significant differences in favor of the intervention group in three areas: opportunity for self-determination at home as reported by parents; career exploration as reported by parents and adolescents; and transition-specific self-determination as reported by parents. Conclusions: Results provide preliminary evidence that the BOOST-A™ can enhance some career-readiness outcomes. Lack of significant outcomes related to self-determination at school and career planning may be due to the lack of face-to-face training and parents being the primary contacts in the study. Further research is needed to determine effectiveness of the BOOST-A™ related to post-secondary education and employment. Trial registration #ACTRN12615000119594 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

College is often a period when students try to find purpose and meaning in their lives. As a result, counselors may need to help students understand their callings and how to meet these through school, work, and other life roles. This article introduces the concept of calling and reviews relevant research, offers suggestions for integrating it into career counseling with college students, and provides a case example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article draws upon the authors’ experience in developing cognitive information processing theory in order to examine three important questions facing vocational psychology and assessment: (a) Where should new knowledge for vocational psychology come from? (b) How do career theories and research find their way into practice? and (c) What is the nature of career development and vocational choice in a global economy? Topics include the interdisciplinary nature of knowledge in this field, the extensive information provided by established career theories and applications, the ongoing need to inform practice through theory and research, the transformation and dissemination of knowledge from the laboratory to the field, and the common themes among education and work issues in a global economy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Training in neurological surgery is one of the most competitive and demanding specializations in medicine. It therefore demands careful planning in both the scientific and clinical neurosurgery arena to finally turn out physicians that can be clinically sound and scientifically competitive. National and international training and career options are pointed out, based on the available relevant literature, with the objective of comparing the neurosurgical training in Europe and the USA. Despite clear European Association of Neurosurgical Societies guidelines, every country in Europe maintains its own board requirements, which is reflected in an institutional curriculum that is specific to the professional society of that particular country. In contrast, the residency program in the USA is required to comply with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education guidelines. Rather similar guidelines exist for the education of neurosurgical residents in the USA and Europe; their translation into the practical hospital setting and the resulting clinical lifestyle of a resident diverges enormously. Since neurosurgical education remains heterogeneous worldwide, we argue that a more standardized curriculum across different nations would greatly facilitate the interaction of different centers, allow a direct comparison of available services, and support the exchange of vital information for quality control and future improvements. Furthermore, the exchange of residents between different training centers may improve education by increasing their knowledge base, both technically as well as intellectually. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goals of this study are to assess parents' role in the career choice implementation of children in high school, in the perspective of children and parents, and to conceptualize the vocational counselling in high school. This study continues a previous investigation on models of vocational interventions in Portuguese Secondary Schools (Pinto, Taveira, & Fernandes, 2003). Through the method of grounded theory (cf. Strauss & Corbin, 1994, 1998) were investigated the perspectives of a total of 62 participants, by using a open question questionnaire (Pinto, 2000). The results evidenced that parents may influence their children's vocational development by the direct relation with them and by the indirect relation with others in the context. The participants recognize the parents' role on their children career decision making and development through parental attitudes more or less directed, specific and intentional and concreteness of activities. The results show the need of expanding vocational interventions, taking into consideration the contexts of life and its role in the decision making and career development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many universities have strategies for exposing students to international experiences, but little is reported on their implementation. One example of an implemented activity is the multidisciplinary research project for undergraduate environment students, at RMIT University, that both prepares students to work in the environment profession and exposes them to working in an international context. Feedback from project participants demonstrates that the project has played an important part in their preparation for professional employment. Responses demonstrated that the project provided a mechanism to prepare them for working in an international context regarding cultural awareness, and especially preparation for the many professional and personal challenges that may be encountered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay discusses the debate regarding the critical and pragmatic pedagogies on how to address the precise concerns of students about their financial and career security. It states that historically specific stories concerning career, mobility, and marketable skills of each student with a particular personal history can be considered as a critical resource for recognizing global forces. Moreover, it identifies its effects on individuals and the ways to respond to them.

Postmodern approaches to career counseling are becoming increasingly popular. Part of the impetus for the postmodern view has involved perceived problems in the assumptions and application of the modern approach. Two points of view have emerged: (a) the modern and postmodern approaches are incompatible, and the postmodern approach is superior to the modern approach and (b) the modern and postmodern approaches are compatible, each with specific benefits and limitations, and individual needs and cost-effectiveness should govern the decision of which approach to use. Key issues to examine in this discussion are standardized career assessment, aggregate career information, matching, and cost-effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the effects of the relation between young people's education and employment in the labor market. We started by assuming that a difference exists between individuals who are working in the occupation for which they were educated, and individuals who were not educated for their work. The hypothesis is that a high degree of correspondence between education and occupation implies better performance and earnings. The methodology was based on empirical ex-post observation at a given moment in time. To measure the effects of the relation between education and employment and to observe young people's performance in the labor market, use was made of Gini indexes and a wage model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the role of constructivist Systems Theory Framework (STF) in career theory and career counseling. It cites the derivation of career developments and the qualitative career assessment instrument from My System of Career Influences (MSCI). Moreover, it provides overview on STF, description of MSCI and the illustrates the use of MSCI in counseling process. In addition, a career study that depicts on the applications of MSCI in individual adolescent guidance is also presented.

The article cites the professional background of engineer David Valentine Tiedeman. His education resume includes a doctor of education degree from Harvard University in 1949. Tiedeman's work experience includes vice president at the New Careering Institute Inc., faculty associate at the Walden University and president at the National Institute for the Advancement of Career Education. Moreover, the executive's professional affiliations at the American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association and National Council on Measurement in Education is also presented.

This article invites us to reflect on the meaning of labor as a human activity and its educational implications. It stems from the idea of work as a means of development and growth. Through work man puts in practice capacities and abilities developed mostly during professional formation. In the first placed a brief analysis is made of the difference between work and a job, since these concepts are usually used with the same meaning, and their importance and reach is very different. In second place a reflection is made on the educational value of work as a means of development and self fulfillment. This will give way to the analysis of the requirements and demands of professional exercise. Basically, the idea is to emphasize, from a pedagogical point of view, the importance of family and school as the most valuable educational agents in the development of the human person and how this contributes to a better professional training and work performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most school heads in England, especially secondary heads, once appointed remain in their schools until retirement. However, recent years have seen a considerable increase in opportunities for head teachers to undertake other forms of education-related work. The range of these new opportunities is examined with particular attention given to ‘consultant leaders’ and the growing role they are playing or will play in implementing government strategies, such as the New Relationship with Schools, the leadership strategy of the London Challenge and the National Primary Strategy. Drawing on a recent evaluation of the London Leadership Strategy directed by the authors, the paper examines what is known about consultant leaders and raises a number of issues that need consideration. As the importance of consultant leaders is likely to grow in the near future, there is a clear need for further research in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on the effects of the significance that people place on work in their lives, and of the importance of their career development. on internal and external causal attribution while facing obstacles perceived during the process of job searching. The sample was composed of 422 participants of a competencies assessment process. The results show that people locate work at a relative level, and that they are mainly concerned with activities related to exploring (choosing a professional career, elaborating projects, etc.). Sex, academic level and professional experience should be taken into consideration in order to understand the attributions made by people. However, the relationship that people establish with their work situation and their career has little effect on how they think they can control their insertion into the world of work. On the contrary, more focus placed on aspects related to vocational election and more psychological distance from the professional sphere contribute to the development of more intense perceptions related to difficulties susceptible of counteracting job search. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides information on the chemical engineering profession, profiling Anna Lis Laursen who has worked at the nuclear division of General Electric (GE) and GE Global Research. Information is provided on her job description, which includes work on natural gas refueling systems. Additional details are included on her career path, education background, and advice for students interested in problem solving.